The Cobra & The Canary Imaginary Authors 2012

The Cobra & The Canary by Imaginary Authors

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7.3 / 10 182 Ratings

A perfume by Imaginary Authors for women and men, released in 2012. The scent is leathery-smoky. It is still in production.
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Main accords

Leathery

Smoky

Spicy

Woody

Earthy

Fragrance Notes

Leather

Tobacco flower Hay

Hay

Iris

Lemon

Asphalt

Perfumer

Josh Meyer

Ratings

Scent

7.3182 Ratings

Longevity

7.6146 Ratings

Sillage

7.0146 Ratings

Bottle

7.4135 Ratings

Value for money

6.859 Ratings

Submitted by Franfan20, last update on 07/24/2025.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

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Ten Fifteen

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La Haine

Anti-Blues

Reviews

15 in-depth fragrance descriptions

04/19/2013

5
Sillage 7.5
Longevity 6
Scent

Coutureguru
223 Reviews

Coutureguru

Helpful Review 8

Sexy on the right person ...

I've entertained the idea of ordering samples from this house for some time so eventually I just took the plunge and did so. I've been away for work so I was gratified by their arrival upon my return! The extremely creative concept of Imaginary Authors rather tickles my fancy ... altho' I'm not going to allude to understanding it :).

I am Ophidiophobic (fear of snakes) so I thought I'd get this one out of the way first, pretty sure that I'd never wear anything with 'cobra' in the name. The title of this perfume does inspire a certain 'movie' to play in one's head, but I can't even look at pictures of these reptiles so I am firmly blocking that! Anyway ... The Cobra & The Canary has nothing to do with serpents, but it does have a lot to do with Leather and Tar ... and quite a bit of smoke!
The back story of this fragrance is actually about two young men going on a joyride in a Shelby Cobra, which being the petrol head I am (yes,yes, now you all know two things about me never revealed before lol) seems quite intriguing! It's a fabulous car I wouldn't mind taking a crack at joyriding in myself!
There is a definite 'smokiness' in the opening of this juice ... very much like tires burning tar ... but from a distance. It's nice ... a little bit thrilling! My skin also throws out lots of leather ... like well used driving gloves stained with the tobacco smell of unfiltered Lucky Strikes. All in all quite macho, so while I don't think I'd ever carry this off successfully, perhaps the hot dude in the passenger seat could! There is something homo-erotic about two young men going for a jaunt in a fast sports car ... or is that just me reading too deeply into things? I suppose this frag does have a James Dean-esque idea about it.
Once all the 'Asphalt' burns off, this fragrance actually becomes quite a comfortable wear. The combination of Hay and slightly cosmetic Iris along with the Tobacco and Leather is quite smooth ... the only pity is that by that time, the sillage is quite close and I would have wanted this phase to have more projection.

I cannot say that this first foray into Imaginary Authors has left me unimpressed ... on the right person The Cobra & The Canary would be fantastic, even downright sexy!!

10/05/2013

7
Scent

OGBuysblind
21 Reviews

OGBuysblind

Helpful Review 5

Countryside Summer

One thing I'll give The Cobra and the Canary credit for is that when you smell it, you'll be able to detect most of the notes listed in its pyramid immediately. A very clear hay note and leather note sit right up front. Leather is one note I usually have trouble identifying, but I find the leather in this very true-to-life. it's not the leather of an expensive, designer jacket or pair of shoes, but something a little more rugged and worn. Next to it sits the hay, dry and aromatic, summer in a barn. Keeping in tune with the hay note, comes the tobacco--also dry, leafy, and fresh--the tobacco of unsmoked cigars and plantations, not pipes. These 3 notes work well together, and while they don't necessarily offer contrast or interplay, they create a certain warm, pastoral atmosphere that's comfortable and without disturbance. There's also a mineralic edge to the entire composition, which suits it fine, and stays in line with the drier, natural quality of the fragrance.

I smell The Cobra and the Canary and I envision a barn in the summer, on a farm where tobacco's grown, with maybe some mountains in the background, or a stream passing through (this accounts for the leather, hay, tobacco and minerals). Reading about it, I see the perfumer envisioned a young man driving a Shelby Cobra (the leather and mineral...asphalt) smoking a cigarette, after picking up his friend from the family farm (the hay). Either story fits, and what you imagine when you smell this could be something entirely different. But you will pick up on the 4 main notes listed in the pyramid. They're distinct and presented well, if not a little obviously.

I enjoyed this one and found it a pleasant, easy-going wear. Imaginary Authors succeeded in creating a very relaxed, personable fragrance. I'd have no problem throwing it on and heading out the door for an evening with friends. Thumbs up.

P.S. For a darker, more challenging take on hay and tobacco, you may want to look toward Sova by Slumberhouse. And for a more complex, chic, and modern take on hay and leather, there's Cuir Pleine Fleur by James Heeley. All 3 are great options and it will really come down to what you're looking for at the moment.

12/15/2024

8
Scent

Deja1sabel
337 Reviews

Deja1sabel

5

dr pepper on leather jackets

this one smelled so strange compared to what the notes entailed but it was a really enjoyable scent. This to my nose opens with a strong scent of Dr Pepper and leather. It smells like as if you took a leather coat and spilled Dr Pepper all over it. The lemon is there too but it’s a really only an opening note of citrus, and then it doesn’t really turn up afterwards. The hay here is earthy, grassy, and dry. The orris and the tobacco flowers add even more earthiness but with a hint of smoky sweetness underlying. There’s an asphalt note in this and it weirdly enough smells just like wet cement, like the sidewalk after it’s rained that morning. The dry down of this is a leather heavy scent with sweet earthy accords and an add addition of asphalt as a background note, but I think the combination all works very well.

01/08/2013

2.5
Sillage 10
Longevity 5
Scent

Silverfire
130 Reviews

Silverfire

2

Old-School Fahrenheit

Goes on smoky, but the smoke has a little bit of the choking quality to it that I recognize as benzoin. A creamy underside shows up soon afterwards. At about an hour and half the smokiness has dissipated and the creaminess has tamed the benzoin, leading to a warm, but weighty, comforting scent with very faint citrus, like you were smelling a giant fluffy cushion. It waxes elegant, and by three hours in, the feel is one of relaxed opulence – benzoin and maybe a little musk with some sort of citrus. It’s blended quite well. The projection is now down to a skin scent, though. Hour five the scent reveals the usual vanilla base, followed by a weird interlude of Scotchguard/cream/aridity. By eight hours, it’s a slightly creamy vanilla, and it stays there for the remainder (11 hours at least), surviving even light workouts.

The Cobra and the Canary is a curious fragrance, one that tells a story of another life lived in stages, like Memoirs of a Trespasser. We begin as a youthful racecar driver who stumbles into some kind of fortune, and then adds the allure of high culture to his brash charisma. It's Fahrenheit-esque, but a Fahrenheit of an earlier time.

Overall, I found the scent interesting and well-blended, but it didn't connect; that feeling -- of a near miss -- is what I get from other fragrances of this house as well. It's like I was almost kissed.

05/21/2023

Cdp2021
13 Reviews

Cdp2021

3

50s convertible car leather

The moment I smelled it, and I admit the story helped too, I associated the smell to light brown covertible car leather, something like James Dean had. From the majority of Imaginary Author scents this was on top of all the other by a mile, although Slow Explosions was a strangely attractive one too. This might be my top leather, a simple, underrated but unique smell. More than enough projection, longevity 10h+ and the smell brings me joy. Enjoy :)

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